Montreal's Best Festivals and Events Happening This April 2017

Much like March, April in Montreal has an unpredictable edge to it, at least when it comes to the weather.

April in Montreal could feature a sweet summer's day. Or a polar vortex. Maybe both in the span of 24 hours. Not that it fazes anyone who calls the city home, content to know that by the second half of the month, Montreal is knee-deep in spring. Besides, there's always something to do in the city, hail or shine, like the following must-see Montreal April festivals, attractions, concerts and delightful freebies.

Full Disclosure: absolutely no one paid their way onto this list. About.com experts are subject to a strict ethics and full disclosure policy, a cornerstone of the network's credibility.

Montreal Festivals April 2017: The Sounds

••• Above: PJ Harvey performs at The Shrine Expo Hall on August 18, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. The Dorset singer-songwriter performs in Montreal on Easter weekend at the Metropolis on both April 14 and April 15, 2017. Timothy Norris / Getty Images

Montreal Festivals April 2017: MLB Pre-Season Game

Catch a Major League Baseball game at the Olympic Stadium on April 1, 2017. It's the Toronto Blue Jays against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Admission $24 to $99.50 plus taxes and/or service/shipping/box office charge. Buy tickets.

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Montreal Festivals April 2017: ExposFest

••• Above: considered one of the top Latin pitchers of all time, Dennis Martinez played with the Montreal Expos seasons '86 through '93. Slated to appear at Exposfest in 2017, Martinez is seen here throwing a pitch during the Expos' game against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium in New York, New York on June 23, 1993. Bill Hickey / Allsport / Getty Images

The Montreal Expos' last game might have been September 29, 2004 but fans aren't done mourning their gut-wrenching departure from a city that loved them to bits.

Join your favorite Expos players for ExposFest at Montreal's Plaza Centre-Ville on April 2, 2017 from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. for a day of reminiscing, photo ops, arcade games, face painting for kids, mascot cavorting, batting cage action and autographs. Admission $7, free for ages 11 and under accompanied by an adult (only one child per adult).

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Montreal Festivals April 2017: The Outdoor Adventure Show

Palais des congrès hosts the Outdoor Adventure Travel Show on April 1 and April 2, 2017. Discover new destinations, put together the ideal travel plans with the help of the show's 200+ exhibitors, hear the stories of seasoned travelers giving seminars on location and more.

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Montreal Festivals April 2017: Museum Exhibits

••• Above: a Yanomami shaman at a village in the Amazon rainforest of Venezuela, 2001. Scott Wallace / Getty Images

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts proposes an exhibit of the works of March Chagall, a French-Russian early modernist who dabbled in and borrowed from Cubism, Surrealism, Fauvism, and Suprematism while staying firmly entrenched in his passion for figurative art.

The Montreal Science Centre debuts CSI: The Experience On April 6, 2017, "an adventure into the world of criminalistics."

And Pointe-à-Callière kicks off Amazonia: The Shaman and the Mind of the Forest on April 20, 2017. With 500 shaman-related objects in the exhibit, from curare-dipped arrow tips to hallucinogen paraphernalia, Montreal's archaeology museum ''will be transformed into the Amazon forest in an immersive and multi-sensory experience that will showcase the shamanism and mythology of traditional Amazonian societies.''

Montreal Festivals April 2017: Terrace Season

Montreal terrace culture is very much a thing. As soon as it's warm enough to sit on a chair outside without shivering, they come out of hiding. In March, it's a hope. In April? It's a guarantee. Try some of Montreal's top terraces for a taste of what I'm talking about.

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Montreal Festivals April 2017: Spa Time

••• Photo courtesy of Strom

It's been a long winter. Celebrate the change of seasons (and the melting of snow) at one of these top 12 Montreal spas.

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Montreal Festivals April 2017: National Career Event

••• David Ramos / Getty Images

Need a job? Want to change careers? Drop by the National Career Eventon April 5 and April 6, 2017 at Palais des congrès for free career advice as well as job leads in technology and engineering, health and social services and banking/insurance/financial. Free admission.

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Montreal Festivals April 2017: Harlem Globetrotters

••• Above: the iconic Harlem Globetrotter Curly Neal (center) with fellow teammates posing before a New York Knicks against the Minnesota Timberwolves game on December 16, 2015 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

As a kid, I used to dream of seeing these guys up close. Bring the fam and relive your own childhood this April 9, 2017 when the Harlem Globetrotters hit Montreal's Bell Centre for a good old exhibition game. Doors open at 1 p.m. Event kicks off at 2 p.m. Admission $32.25 to $160 plus taxes and/or service/shipping/box office charge. Buy tickets.

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Montreal Festivals April 2017: Braderie de Mode

••• Above: a model posing backstage on on March 16, 2016 as part of the Mackage fashion show at David Pecaut Square in Toronto, Canada. Mackage is one of the Braderie de Mode's better known brands. Edward James / Getty Images

Running April 6 through April 9, 2017 is the Big Fashion Sale by Quebec Designers otherwise known as the Braderie de Mode, a choice opportunity to score both high street and high end apparel, outerwear and accessories at up to 80% off retail. It happens only twice a year so don't be sleeping.

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Montreal Festivals April 2017: Parents and Kids Fair

••• Photo courtest of the Parents and Kids Fair

From April 6 to April 9, 2017, it's the Parents and Kids Fair at Place Bonaventure.​ Geared towards children ages 0 to 6 and expectant families. Hundreds of exhibitors provide information about health, birth, nutrition, social and government services, consumer products, daycare, education, recreation and family activities. Admission $14, $11 seniors/students, free ages 12 and under.

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Montreal Festivals April 2017: Gem and Minerals Show

••• Catherine MacBride / Getty Images

The Salon des pierres, minéraux et fossiles de Montréal runs April 7 to April 9, 2017 at Centre Pierre-Charbonneau. Score deals on jewelry, geodes, fossils, gem art, and more. Admission $10, ages 6 to 12 and under $4, ages 5 and under free.

Montreal Festivals April 2017: Eat Local

••• Dougal Waters / Getty Images

With spring giving old man winter the boot, some locals might be dreaming of fresh salads and made-from-scratch goodies. Maybe you're one of them, dreaming of a life free of crappy processed gunk, haunted by memories of your grandma's dishes, wishing her kitchen would magically replace yours.

Montreal Festivals April 2017: Easter

Montreal Festivals April 2017: Vues d'Afrique

••• Above: Aya wal bahr (''Aya Goes to the Beach'') is a short film about a 10-year-old maid yearning to escape her hum drum existence in Casablanca for a better life by the sea. And there might be a way with the help of her disabled neighbor. Aya wal bahr screens at the 2017 edition of Vues d'Afrique. Film still courtesy of Maryam Touzani

Running April 14 through April 23, 2017 is film festival Vues d'Afrique which features films from over 30 countries. Admission $10 per screening, $32 for four screenings, $20 opening night.

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Montreal Festivals April 2017: The Bikes Are Back

••• Bruce Yuanyue Bi / Getty Images

After taking a long winter break, they're baaaack. Bixi, Montreal's public bike service, proposes a variety of fares to suit different budgets and circumstances, picking up where it left off come April 15, 2017.

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Montreal Festivals April 2017: Earth Day

••• Earth Day in Montreal, also known as Jour de la Terre, usually features a slew of free and affordable activities. ESA / Getty Images News

Celebrate Earth Day in Montreal April 18 through April 23, 2017 by picking up free tree saplings, swapping used toys for free beer, joining a seed workshop, and more.

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Montreal Festivals April 2017: Volta

••• Video still courtesy of Cirque du Soleil

From April 20 to July 23, 2017, Montreal hosts the worldwide premiere of Cirque du Soleil's Volta, the megatroupe's 41st original production since 1984. Theme? Following your own path. Admission $50 to $295 plus taxes and/or service/shipping/box office charge. Buy tickets.

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Montreal Festivals April 2017: Blue Metropolis

••• Photo courtesy of Blue Metropolis

Blue Metropolis, a Montreal multilingual literary festival running April 24 through April 30, 2017, is the place to rub shoulders with the emerging and the elite in the publishing world. From authors to photographers, storytellers to illustrators, publishers and literary professionals of all sorts from across the globe gather right here every year in Montreal.

Montreal Festivals April 2017: Butterflies Go Free

••• Every winter and spring, the Montreal Botanical Garden sets free up to 20,000 butterflies and moths in the confines of its greenhouses over the course of the live exhibit. Olga Tremblay / Getty Images

Last call for Butterflies Go Free, the Montreal Botanical Garden's annual ode to the winged creatures running until April 30, 2017. Count on up to 2,000 moths and butterflies fluttering about the Garden's greenhouses at any given time.